Many types of small, inexpensive three wheel vehicles are known in the art. Prior practitioners in the art have suggested that such vehicles provide fairings and the like to protect the rider from wind, rain, etc. In addition, such vehicles sometimes include means to facilitate the carrying of cargo, etc.
While these prior art vehicles are generally suitable for their intended purpose, the prior art has failed to provide a vehicle of simple unitized platform construction, the platform having a plurality of attachment means to which a variety of accessories can be attached, to thereby maximize the utility of the vehicle.
Of course, two versions of three wheel vehicles exist in the prior art, i.e. those having one front wheel with two rear wheels, and those having two front wheels with one rear wheel.
Of the former class of vehicles, it has been suggested that the vehicle include a detachable fairing to protect the rider. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,284,130; 4,076,091; and 4,412,595 are examples. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,325,448 the canopy is mounted to the vehicle by way of telescoping tube members. U.S. Pat. No. 4,336,964 discloses a vehicle canopy that is mounted on the vehicle chassis by forcing the generally U-shaped canopy to an open position, placing the thus opened canopy on the chassis, and releasing the canopy, whereupon the canopy restores to its original shape, and mounts into sockets carried by the chassis. Means to enhance the vehicle cargo carrying capacity are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,921,740 and 4,522,442, the latter showing scooter with a floor shell and removable storage compartment. U.S. Pat. No. 3,603,609 describes such a vehicle that is selectively usable by a seated or by a standing individual. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,065,146; 4,538,695 and 4,573,549 show vehicles of this type whose steering mechanism is foldable.
Three wheeled bicycle type vehicles are in widespread use. They are relatively inexpensive as the single front wheel is functional with a rudimentary steering mechanism. However, the art has long recognized that three wheel vehicles having two front wheels are inherently more stable than those having but a single front wheel, especially for heavier loads on the vehicle.
Examples of this more stable type of three wheel vehicle that include protective housings for the operator, are U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,484,648 and 4,573,546. In the later of these patents the vehicle motor is mounted between the two front wheels. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,020,914 such a vehicle is made from a two wheel motorcycle, by first removing the motorcycle front wheel and then attaching a two wheel mechanism that includes an operator protection fairing. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,410,198; 4,456,277 and 4,506,753 show vehicles of this type wherein the rider sits in a recumbent position and wherein fairings and cargo carrying means are provided.
Despite the existence of the various prior art vehicles, a continuing need exists for vehicle that is low cost to manufacture, easily adapted to a wide variety of uses and storable in a minimum of space. Such a vehicle has many uses in the industrialized nations, but is particularly attractive to the so-called emerging or third world nations where widespread acquisition of contemporary automobiles and trucks is economically unacceptable. The present invention fills this need.